Azek Aluminum Deck Post Bolts

Here's a great shot of the fastening method for some Azek aluminum deck posts. The four bolts must be made from a material that will not corrode when water surrounds them and the treated lumber they pass through. Copyright 2018, Google / YouTube, Inc. Fair Use Doctrine screen capture

Just two days ago, January 10, 2018, I was at the International Builders Show in Orlando, Florida. I visited the Azek booth and was talking with an Azek employee about bolts that should be used when installing the Azek aluminum deck posts.

The first thing to remember is Azek invited me to come to the booth.

It's important to realize I write a syndicated newspaper column that's still published by sixty-plus papers. In addition, I have over forty years of hands-on experience working in the field in the homes of paying customers.

The combination of these two things allows me to provide a unique insight as to the wants and desires of consumers and I can poke holes quite readily in building products that might not be as good as they can be.

What's more, I'm well aware of a growing and disturbing trend of young builders, carpenters and DIYrs that aren't aware of serious structural dangers when metal fasteners come into contact with outdoor treated lumber and water.

It's basic high school chemistry.

Azek Aluminum Deck Post Bolts Can Corrode Fast

Just before leaving the Azek booth, the Azek team members wanted me to see an aluminum railing system they were displaying at the show. I got into a tug-of-war discussion with this young Azek employee after he showed me the cast flange at the bottom of the deck post.

The conversation went something like this:

"Do you supply the needed stainless-steel through bolts, washers and nuts with the posts?"

"No," said the Azek employee.

What followed was a brief discourse about how the entire safety of the railing system is dependent upon the through bolts never rusting or corroding.

The through bolts are a primary structural component of the deck railing system. If they fail, the railing can be pushed over with ease.

Should this happen, a person/people could fall many feet to the ground and be seriously injured or die.

Rapid corrosion of metal fasteners happens when you mix modern treated lumber, water and normal steel bolts that have a thin zinc coating. You need special fasteners that are highly resistant to corrosion when it comes to deck railings and posts.

High-quality stainless steel is the material of choice to avoid corrosion.

Expert Witness Work Provides Perspective

I mentioned to the Azek employee that I've been doing expert testimony work for about 15 years or more and that my most recent case involved the Brazilian Ambassador's roof on the island of Antigua.

I shared with this young man the chain of events that unfolds when a building product failure becomes the center of a lawsuit.

Should someone be injured or die because an Azek aluminum deck post fails because of a corroded bolt(s), one of the first companies that's going to be named in the subsequent lawsuit would be Azek.

The first thing to remember is it doesn't matter that the aluminum post didn't fail, but the fasteners used to connect did. Azek undoubtedly knows about, or should have known, the importance of fasteners.

At the same time their engineers ran tests to ensure the railing was safe.

Azek, by selling a deck-railing product, is expected to be knowledgeable about what it takes to create a safe product.

That's a given. Technology has really raised the bar for manufacturers when it comes to product liability and doing a better job. Azek has the ability to set up a Google Alert for every mention of Azek or one of its products so it stays up to date with all that's going on.

As soon as the plaintiff's attorney discovers this column early in the process of discovery, it's going to be time for Azek to open up their checkbook.

Imagine if a lawsuit proceeded all the way to a trial. If you want to see how the jury might vote in the issue, be sure to answer the question at the bottom of this column.

Simpson Strong-Tie Ally - Corrosion is a Real Danger

"Don't you feel it would be a good idea to include stainless-steel bolts, washers and nuts with your product so you do your best to ensure that your railing system doesn't fail?"

I went on to explain that another exhibitor at the show, Simpson Strong-Tie, had all sorts of literature and experts at their booth that would explain how deck railing posts must have the highest-quality fasteners to be safe for decades.

We discussed the insignificant cost of high-grade USA-made stainless-steel through bolts. For a company like Azek to purchase them in bulk, my guess is the cost per bolt, washer and nut combo would be less than 50 cents each. This means the cost of a post would have to be increased by just $2.00, perhaps $3.00 to cover the cost of any packaging for the hardware.

Here's a typical stainless steel through bolt you might use with an Azek aluminum deck post. The bolt costs about 54 cents each. You can buy a pack of fifteen at Amazon.com for $8.07 here in January of 2018. CLICK HERE NOW to order them.

Although I didn't record the conversation, I wish I had now, I'm quite certain the young man said, "Our competitors are not including the hardware and no one would pay the extra money for them."

"Would you like me to prove you wrong? I'm more than happy to do a survey of my tens of thousands of newsletter subscribers and my YouTube subscribers. Let's see what they have to say."

The Azek employee had no interest in me doing this no-cost survey for them.

"You know what, I'm just going to do the survey on my own and I'll share the results with you. I'm willing to bet that a vast majority of consumers would GLADLY pay extra money for the correct fasteners knowing their railing system will not fail."

You don't have to have a MBA in marketing to see the huge opportunity here. Can you picture this TV or magazine ad:

"Our competitors don't include the required stainless steel fasteners with their deck posts. They just hope the contractor will use the right ones. Do you want to HOPE that your deck railing doesn't fail? Specify Azek aluminum deck posts with included stainless steel bolts and know your loved ones will be SAFE."

But What Bolts Should Be Included?

You may think it's impossible to include the right bolts. It's not. The Azek engineers can easily do the following:

• develop a preferred installation method for both wood and concrete situations. Believe me after framing countless decks, it's not hard to come up with a standardized method that will work in almost all cases.
• for wood, show the size, number and placement of blocking pieces as you see in the video above. Also show the exact type of corrosion-resistant fasteners required to secure them to the deck floor joists. If the blocks fail, then so to will the railing no matter what bolts are used!
• for concrete, show the correct stainless-steel stud anchors, epoxy if necessary, and the minimum distance the holes must be from the edge of concrete slabs.
• create a short installation video showing how to install the blocks and bolts - put a sticker on the post advertising the video.

A Company That Does it Right

Just three weeks before going to the Builders Show I had the delightful experience of installing a product from a company that gets it. I've installed thousands of products in my career and when I opened the box and saw all the included parts, I got a massive grin on my face.

Look at the clear packaging in this photo:

Here's what you get with the Ring Floodlight Cam. You even get EXTRA parts in case you're a klutz and drop something or you have a strange electrical box. You don't need all the included screws, but the ones you will need are there! The orange screwdriver works to tighten the white finish nuts that secure the floodlight to the galvanized steel baseplate in the photo. Copyright 2018 Tim Carter

What you see is the Ring Floodlight Camera. It's got all the parts you'd ever need, and even a few extra things in case you drop something! Brilliant. You bet I'm willing to pay $2 more to save a trip to the hardware store!

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, it's now time for you to weigh in. Answer the following question and let the chips fall where they may:

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